


Leatherbound Heist

by noonefromschoolcanknow



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU Fic, Ace!Adrien, Australian Spelling is used in this fic, Bad Puns, Chloè redemption, Gadgetry, High School, Insomniac! Adrien, Marinette makes their weapons/gadgets, Multi, Noodle Incidents, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plagg and Tiki are AIs, Rebellion, Reveal Fic, Sci-fi theif fic, Secret Identity, Slight age up, Teen Angst, Teen delinquent, futuristic setting, slighty unrealistic gadgets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6384049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noonefromschoolcanknow/pseuds/noonefromschoolcanknow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug and Chat Noir have their hardest job ahead of them. Steal a precious book back for an ancient old man. It's believed to be in the hands of Gabriel Agreste, fashion designer, rich guy, and, a bit of a tool. It should be an easy job for the pair, but Chat Noir is Gabriel's son, Adrien. Who's hiding more than his identity as Chat Noir from everyone, like Chloè holds a secret. Marinette knows Chloè's secret, and has the job of balancing the chaos of her school life, with the chaos of her life as Ladybug. At least she can make small gadgets and weapons to make one of those easier.</p><p> But, after a simple mistake, Adrien finds the truth about Marinette, and her the truth about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s a cold night. The air hangs dry, leaving a chemical aftertaste, and breath rises in smoke. A slender moon peaks through the billowing clouds, and yet, the streets below are lit up Still, the girl on the rooftop doesn’t notice it. Her eyes survey the surrounding streets, flickering from behind a pair of red googles, searching for something. Her black hair is pulled up into pigtails, moving at the slightest hint of wind, exposing a twin pair of red and black studs. Her face, calm, collected, confident, her lips not showing emotion.

Another figure joins her, sneaking up behind her silently. His cat-like eyes narrow, content. She’s here, waiting for him. A gloved hand reaches to tap her on the shoulder, the girl whipping around in a fighting stance. It drops when she sees her partner. He’s dressed for the cold, a thicker jacket over a long sleeved black top, and a cute cat eared beanie. It’s cute.

“Hello, my lady.” He drops into an over the top bow, the black cat-eared hat slipping slightly. He won’t admit it, but it’s too cold for him, and seeing Ladybug wearing only a red jacket over her usual outfit doesn’t help at all. How come he, the one who’s a fucking black cat, is the one with zero cold tolerance. Still, just seeing her out here, with the cityscape behind her is breathtaking.

 

“So, what are we looking out for tonight?” His smile looks a little too big for his face, but, at the same time it looks completely natural. “Even if it’s a pricey necklace, nothing could be more purrfect than you, my lady.” Ladybug rolls her eyes. The puns, they’re just something Chat does. The flirting? Same as always. At first, it could get annoying, but it’s grown on her since then. She taps a button on her wrist, bringing up a small screen. A picture of an old, leather bound book is on it. It looks familiar to Chat, but he can’t quite put his finger on why.

“Tonight, we’re just scouting. I know who owns this book, but, it was stolen from him. We need to find the thief, and the book.” An ancient old man messaged her with the request, and insisted on a reward. It was twice what they’d normally accept.

 

“Okay? What could be so important about a book?”

 

“I honestly could not tell you that. Though, I put a few feelers out, and found someone who might have something to do with it.” The picture changes, the face of a high-profile fashion designer filling the screen. Gabriel Agreste. Fifty-something, dignified, and the possible cause of ninety-six percent of all the weird shit that has been happening in Paris. “This isn’t going to be an easy job. He has—”

“Around the clock security, no blind spots, a house that is… um… hard to break into, and enough security stuff to make him look, really paranoid?” Chat interrupts Ladybug, mouth getting the better of him. Shit could he be more obvious? He scratches the back of his head, black ring catching the light. For some reason he wears it on his middle finger, but, it’s not important. “Yeah, this is gonna suck.”

 

“We’ll make it work. I’ve been working on a few upgrades.” Chat raises an eyebrow, curious as to what Ladybug is talking about. Cryptic like always, but he can trust her with this. He could tell her his darkest secrets, and know that she’ll never use them against him. She’s the entire reason he’s past his “Aimless teen hoodlum” phase, and now into something that’s more rewarding.

“Really?"

“It’s not much. Just some improvements to our grappling systems, friendly AIs and weapons, though if you want to wait I can do more. Just be patient kitty.” Ladybug jumps off the roof top, pulled across by her own momentum. The entire transport system works by using electromagnetic levitation, so rigging up a way to travel safely through the rooftops was easy. “Come on, we need to get moving”

“Hey, I know a faster way. Turn left at the next street.” Chat always has the most fun when it’s just him and Ladybug alone with the rooftops, but this current job leaves him a little nervous. He swallows the worry, directing his partner towards the giant mansion. He follows behind her, enjoying himself, and ignoring the flash of a camera going off nearby.

 

Even at night it stands out, an imposing sight. It’s a renovated Victorian building, but it always looks cold and lifeless, unlike the other classic buildings. The gardens are too manicured, the statues too well maintained. It’s more of a show house than a home. Still, it’s something. The streetlights and fog surrounding it give it this odd beauty.

They spend some time circling the property, when a beep comes from Ladybug’s earpiece, a sweet, high-pitched voice coming through.

“Marinette, you have 10 minuets left. You really should head home.” It's for her ears only, so there's no worries about it being overheard

“Thanks Tikki.” She turns to Chat, pushing a loose piece of hair away from her face. “I have to go now, sorry.”

“Just wait. I’d really like to know who you are. I always have” Marinette sighs. Again, this question. He asks it every night without fail. Still, the circumstances are different.

 

“I’m not going to tell you. Not because I don’t trust you, but because I don’t want my identity shared.” Chat’s face falls, but he understands. “However, if we know each other outside of this, and you figure it out, I want you to tell me. Make it obvious. Now, Chat, I really have to go. Goodnight.” Chat’s eyes follow her as she fades into the background. A similar beep comes from his ear phones, a lazy, nasal voice coming through.

“Adrien? 10 minuets, get going.”

“Fine Plagg.” He jumps off the roof, slipping past the guards and cameras, into his loose bathroom window. He sighs, taking off the mask, and then trying to pop out the contacts. A look in the mirror, and a small grin.

 

 

It hasn’t gotten any warmer since last night. A chilly wind with flecks of sleet blows into the school, with a damp, foggy haze that smells like pollution and desperation. Marinette trudges into the school building, hair down and bundled up, still half-asleep. A voice, calling her name catches Marinette's attention.

 

“Marinette, you won’t believe what I got a photo of last night.” A beaming smile and excited voice wake Marinette up from her half-asleep haze. Alya holds up a much loved smartphone, greeting her at the door to school.“I got a photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir, can you believe it?” Shit. Alya caught them. This might become more of a mess than the Agreste job. Still Marinette fakes a smile.

“Wait, seriously? Alya, you have to show me. I’ll try not to delete it by accident, that was one time.” Alya flicks to the photo. It’s a little on the blurry side, but Marinette can’t deny that it’s an amazing photo. It was taken after the first corner, Ladybug with the wind in her hair flying across the gap between streets, Chat below her, wide smile on his face, green eyes reflecting the dim light.

 

“Yeah, I’ve already got a thousand hits online.” Fuck. “Like, I had no idea that they’re this popular online. Maybe because they’ve never targeted anyone who doesn’t deserve it.” As they’re walking, Marinette’s foot catches on a step, sending her tumbling into one Adrien Agreste— long time crush, and son of the target. Shit. The metal of a familiar looking ring brushes past her ear, Adrien catching sight of a pair of red and black spotted studs. Interesting.

 

“Marinette? Are you okay?” Marinette jumps up, struggling to piece together a coherent sentence, whilst also making enough exaggerated arm movements to start a new dance trend. Shit. First the photo and then this?

“Uh, yes, I’m fine. A-a-are you okay? I kinda fell.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just be careful, you’re the one who fell.”

“Uh yeah, um, sorry.” 

 

Marinette moves behind Alya, as a taller girl wrapped up in a garish yellow trench-coat all but tackles Adrien. She looks at him through hooded eyelids, coloured a garish blue. Chloè. In all her vapid, queen bee glory. Adrien flinches, but ignores the limpet now stuck to his arm. Until she opens her mouth, talking in a rapid, gossipy tone.

“Adrien! It’s great to see you” She chatters aimlessly until she notices Alya and Marinette standing nearby. A scowl. “What are you doing with them Adrien?” God she’s insufferable. Alya rolls her eyes, sharing a look with Adrien.

 

Though for some reason, Marinette has a strange smile on her face. Even though Chloe is still clinging onto an unresponsive Adrien, being every teenage girl stereotype at once, and generally being bad company, she’s smiling.

“Marinette, are you okay? You didn’t hit your head, did you?” Alya’s confused, bringing a hand to Marinette’s forehead. Nope, feels normal, and there’s no bruising. So, why is she smiling near Chloè? Whatever, it’s not important.

“I didn’t. Spaced out, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Were you looking for Chat Noir and Ladybug as well?” Marinette goes silent, as Chloè detaches from Adrien, interested in what Alya has to say. Her lips are pursed in a pout, and the designer sunglasses perched on her head slip. At least Chloè makes for a very easy distraction.

“Wait, they were active last night? Really? Oh my god, how did I miss it?"

“Chlo, maybe you were asleep? I missed them as well.” Adrien knows it’s a lie, but as long as the others don’t it’s fine. Chloe pouts harder, pitch rising and eyes narrowing.

 

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to miss them this time. I wanted to thank Ladybug.” A passive aggressive tone, but the thought of Chloè wanting to thank anyone is absurd. Marinette tunes back in, shocked, and flattered. It doesn’t show. Still, who knew that a move meant to get her away from a stalker they were targeting could mean so much to Chloè.

“Seriously? Girl? You want to thank someone?” Alya pushes her glasses up her nose, finally putting her phone away. Chloè holds her tongue. It’s not a nice thing to say, but Alya has a point. She isn’t the nicest person, and saying anything to defend herself would just be digging a grave.

“Yeah, well. I’m going. Bye Adrien.” Chloè blows a kiss towards Adrien, heels clicking against the concrete. Finally she’s gone. Keeping up that charade is a lot of effort on both their parts. Maybe one day Chloe will stop acting, but, the chances of that look slim.

“I’ll see you two in class. And Alya, Nino’s gonna be late.”

 

“Damn. Still, see ya Adrien.” 

 

Alya pulls Marinette away, rounding a corner to hide behind some lockers. No one else is within earshot, it’s just them, the walls of the school, and the slowly decaying outdoor lockers. Private conversation. Very private conversation. Namely, asking Marinette what is wrong with her today.

“Wait, you have a really big secret of Chloè’s? Spill.”

“I’m not sure if I should tell anyone.” Marinette avoids making eye contact, trying to find anything else to focus on. Apart from some poorly drawn graffiti, nothing. Alya puts her hands on Marinette’s shoulders, forcing the smaller girl to look at her.

“Come on. Mari, We. Are. Best. Friends. There is nothing we don’t share.” Marinette is torn between wanting to gossip about one of her least favourite people, and understanding that the information she has about Chloè are something she needs to release on her own.

“If Chloè wants it out, she’ll tell people. It’s like, super personal info.” A brief silence, Alya’s eyes widening, her lips pursing into an “oh”. She removes her hands from Marinette’s shoulders.

“Holy shit, it’s something like that? Okay, now I get it. How did you get something like that?”

“Don’t ask. It was an accident, but it’s up there on the list of most awkward situations I’ve been in. Probably just below that incident in chem. That we are not talking about.” Alya shares a terse nod, crossing her arms. It was embarrassing for both of them, and Alya’s not the type to get embarrassed

“Yep. It never happened. Still, I think you should tell Chloè you know.”

“Fine, but if it goes to shit you owe me.”

“I’ll get you a date with Adrien, lunch from that awesome ramen place, and, I’d check the bathroom on the third floor for Chloè if I were you. Good luck Mari.”

“Thanks Alya.”

 

 Sighing, Marinette gathers her strength, and climbs the stairs, the rough surface a godsend in such dreary weather. She reaches the green door to the bathroom, and pushes on it. What she sees confirms her suspicions.


	2. Chapter 2

A shriek, shrill and grating. Marinette flushes scarlet, and Chloè and Sabrina seperate, looking straight at the intruder. Chloè’s heart beats into her ears a rapid pulse, her eyes widening, and mouth opening in panic. She ducks behind Sabrina, but Chloè is a head taller and it doesn’t help the situation much. Shit. Sabrina looks from Chloe, to Marinette, staying silent.

“Ma-ma-Marinette, it isn’t what it looks like, I swear.” It’s a rare sight to see Chloè this openly fearful, with wide open eyes, and hands defensive in front of her face. Not that Marinette cares. She slips past the door, standing in the slightly grimy bathroom, holding her hands out, looking as calm as she can. With Chloè three-seconds from a full blown panic, and Sabrina stone faced, it isn’t easy. 

“Chloè, I already know.” Chloè’s face falls, tears welling up. Shit, this is the end of everything, isn’t it. “But, I’m not going to tell anyone, and I haven’t told anyone.” Marinette keeps her voice soft and level holding a hand out to Chloè. The blonde’s expression changes, and Sabrina’s warm hand reaching for hers adds a comfort.

“Y-y-you’re not?” There’s none of the haughty skepticism that normally fills Chloe’s voice. Only an uncertain waver, a stutter that fits her age better than the bratty teenage persona. Sabrina glances behind at Chloè, then back to Marinette, pushing her glasses back up her nose with her index finger.

“I’m not. I’ve known for a while,” a week, “and, I think the best thing to do would be to try and support you. We’re not fourteen anymore. I’m not gonna hold onto a petty grudge, and I’d hope you’d do the same.”

 

Chloe ignores Marinette’s still outstretched hand, running out from behind Sabrina to wrap both arms around Marinette’s neck in a hug, engulfing the shorter girl in a wave of an expensive yet tasteless perfume. There’s something familiar about this, especially since Chloè has the body temperature of a lizard in a fridge, but Marinette moves a hand to rub up and down Cholè’s back, Sabrina looking on with a large smile.

“Marinette, thank you. I’ve, I’ve been horrible. How can I repay you for this?” Chloe’s voice trembles, though there’s nothing but gratitude in her tone.

“Just one thing. When we go to class, before the teacher gets there, I want you to stand out the front, and apologize to everyone.”

“That’s all? Um, okay then.” Chloè walks towards the door, but is stopped by Sabrina holding onto her arm.

 “Chloè, your make-up. We should fix it, shouldn’t we?” Chloè nods, letting Sabrina sit her down on a bench. Marinette opens the door to leave, but before she does, a thumbs up and mouthed thank you from Sabrina catches her eye.

  
“No problem.”

 

 Ayla practically dive-bombs Marinette when she makes it within her field of vision. Unfortunately for Marinette, she’s on the stairs. The two girls slip down, the sheer absurdity of the situation making them burst out laughing. Marinette has a high, airy laugh, which contrasts with Alya’s loud, rich laugh, but both catch the attention of the nearby Adrien and Nino, who look in their direction, and share a “What’s so funny?” type of look.

“So, Mari, how’d it go. I timed it. 20 minutes, and there doesn’t seem to be any casualties.” Marinette grins, holding two thumbs up.

“It went so much better than I thought it would. Let’s just say that hell might have frozen over today.”

 

Marinette was right. Hell’s frozen over. Five minuets before the teacher arrives, everyone is sitting at their desk. But Chloè. Chloè’s seriously standing at the front of the classroom, where the teacher normally is, right in front of the display screen, slipping the mic onto her ear.

“Hello, um… everyone.” A groan travels through the classroom, with only Marinette staying silent. Oh god, what does the queen bitch want.  


Chloe’s shoulders drop, her eyes staring at a spot on the floor. It’s not chewing gum. Kim’s frequent detentions for being, in Alya’s words, “A special brand of stupid”, make sure of that. She glances up quickly, looking from Sabrina to Marinette, before taking a breath.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been awful for the entire time I’ve known you, and I know most of you can’t stand me. I just… I just want to apologise for being a colossal bitch all this time. I hope we can be friends.”

 

Alya’s slack-jawed, staring at Marinette with her eyes wide, struggling to understand what just happened. _How?_ Like, how? Is this even reality? Shit, it’s too early for this.  Silence hangs over the classroom for a minuet. It’s shocked everyone, and no one knows how to react. But, a short blonde slipping out from behind her desk, bunny-ear beanie on her head, and pastel pink scarf around her neck to extend a hand of friendship breaks the silence.

 “Chloè, Chloè, can I plait your hair? It’s so pretty, and I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” Rose’s high pitched, sugary voice cuts the silence, Chloè blinking a few times in shock, before giving a wide smile.

“Um, okay. Why not?” Rose takes out the ponytail, running her hands through Chloè’s long blonde hair. It’s so soft, and fluffy, and amazing. Juleka runs down to join them, holding a bag full of hair-ties and other cute clips. 

  
“Rose, um, hurry up, okay? Miss’ll be here soon.” Juleka’s voice is quiet, and a little raspy, but Rose just nods, sectioning off Chloe’s hair with a smile. As the three of them talk, Rose being surprisingly good at this for someone who’s hair hasn’t been longer than shoulder length since she was twelve, Sabrina walks up to Marinette, tapping her on the shoulder. 

“What is it Sabrina?”

“Thank you.”

 

Ms. Mendeleiev bustles in with a dreaded urgency. Her lips are pulled into a tight lipped, cold smile, and her thick rimmed glasses are perfectly in place. A nervous chatter spreads through the class. _It’s time for a project._

“Now, everyone. You will be getting a chemistry project to work on in groups. I’ll be giving the groups and the topic, but, I’ll be nice and give you a month to work on it.” Another groan spreads through the class. Not another one of these, though at least they get a month. God knows how much work they’re gonna have to do though.

“Group one, you’ll be studying the practical uses of extremely volatile substances. Adrien, Nino, Alya, Marinette.” Adrien’s ears perk up when he hears this. At least they’re not looking at something too boring. But the memory of an incident from a few years ago comes to the forefront, leaving the model cringing. He fails to notice the message popping up on Nino’s screen from Alya.

  
[Commence operation Get these two dorks together] He turns around, catching sight of Alya’s cat-like grin. He gives a sharp nod, turning back to type a response 

[Right. We’ll do that.]

 

“Well, they’ve ditched us.” Adrien runs his fingers through his hair, scanning the concrete courtyard of the school. No sign of the blogger and up-and-coming DJ anywhere. This better not be a ploy to dump the workload on the two of them. The sound of a cat miaowing, Adrien turning to look for where it is, looking straight at Marinette, who’s looking at her phone.

[Hey Marinette. Nino and I are gonna work on our half of the project alone together. Here’s the date with Adrien I promised -_^] Dammit Alya

“D-don’t worry. They’ve gone of to work on half of it together.” Marinette tries not to dwell on the implication behind those words, trying to avoid looking straight at Adrien “But, we can try to work onour part of the project. Just… I’m not the best with chem. Like fuel mixes and bread dough I can do, but add the periodic table and you’ve lost me.” Adrien raises an eyebrow.

“F-fuel mixes? What are you, a mechanic in your spare time?”

“N-n-no, of course not. I do a bit of gadget work here and there, and on the larger ones it can be harder to keep them running with just a battery. It’s taken me a lot of practice, but I’ve found ones that work” Adrien can’t shake the extreme sense of familiarity from those words. Didn’t Ladybug once say something similar.

  
“Oh really? That’s awesome. I have a friend from outside of school who also does gadgetry work. A lot of it. Like, seriously, some of the stuff she’s made is extreme. Like, she’s made this set that allows people to high-jack the electromagnetic transport circuit for parkour and stuff.” Marinette blinks a couple times, struggling to understand what Adrien just told her. _She_ made those sets, two bracelets for each arm, and a pair of thin sheets to put under the insole of your shoes. The only person she’s ever told how to use them, and how they work is _Chat Noir_.

 

That train of thought is derailed by a loud bang, a very long string of expletives, and someone screaming in pain. Without a second thought, Adrien has jumped up to see what’s happened, while Marinette stays where she is, watching their stuff, and also trying to decode the weird shorthand Alya writes her chemistry notes in. Seriously this is hard enough without trying to figure out what “HCl— ^Acd. xCu” means. 

With her focus buried in a project she knows not a lot about, and Ayla’s incomprehensible notes, Adrien’s return was unexpected. He taps her on the shoulder, Marinette whipping around with her hands raised.

 

Shit.

 

Adrien’s eyes widen and his mouth drops. Marinette’s face heats up and turns scarlet, desperately trying to hide her face behind her hands. Oh no. Oh no. This is bad. This is very bad. Shit. Adrien’s mind works over-time, piecing together the clues he’s gotten throughout his time with Ladybug. First, there’s the physical stuff— both are a not particularly tall five foot four, both have slender yet athletic builds, and both have shoulders and hips that are practically in line, with not too much of a waist or bust. Then there’s the fact they’re both right handed, but, that’s like saying they both have a head. Not much help. He hasn’t really seen Ladybug’s eyes before, so that’s no help, but, both Marinette and Ladybug have a cute button nose, and cute doll-like lips. Not that he’s been looking at Marinette and Ladybug’s lips or anything. No, he hasn’t been doing that. Where’d that idea come from? 

But these last few moments are the final pieces he needed. The earrings, the skill with gadgetry, and, the fighting stance Marinette picked up, weight on her right leg, left leg forward, hands aligned, but arms at an angle, is the same unarmed stance Ladybug always picks up when he sneaks up on her. He looks around the courtyard, somewhere, anywhere, where they can talk and not be at risk of being over heard. There are the decaying lockers, but, there’s a chance Ayla’s hidden a recording device, so it’s not worth it. His eyes land on a rarely stairwell, a smile on his face.

 “Marinette. You, me. Stairwell. Now.” Marinette’s eyes widen, the sudden addition of a freezing hand pulling her along to under the stairs slightly unpleasant, but then it is _Adrien_ holding her hand, so it can’t be all _that_ bad, right? At least he’s holding her hand. 

 

The space underneath the stairs smells slightly of mold, and the damp air freezes any exposed skin. The thick concrete above them, and flickering lights add to the disused atmosphere, but, at least they won’t be overheard. Not even Kim, and his ever-exceeding need to one up every stupid dare ever given uses it. It’s safe. Adrien and Marinette stand there in silence, Adrien taking a deep breath, hopeful, but not expecting the best.

 

“Marinette, um, are you Ladybug? Be honest.” Her blue eyes widen, staring into a strangely familiar pair of green eyes. 

 

A breath. Another breath. Marinette slows the nerves building in her, leaving the stairwell silent apart from her breathing, the humming lights, and the distant drip of a leaky pipe. 

 

“I am. Why? Does it matter?” Adrien smiles. It isn’t the rehearsed model smile he has most of the time, not too wide, not too narrow, just the right amount of teeth, and eyes open just enough. No, it’s the smile Chat gives Ladybug all the time. All teeth, a little too wide for his face, his eyes swished half closed and content.

 

A hand raises in front, sweeping down into an over-the top bow. Marinette’s breath stops momentarily, this situation so familiar, yet so strange.

 

“Oh, I’m just so happy to meet you, _my lady_.” 

 

Marinette’s breath draws in slowly, her eyes closing with a slight smile. Who would have guessed that the polite, soft-spoken Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir? It didn’t even cross her mind once. It couldn’t have turned out better for her though. And for the job they have.

 

“ _Chat._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, that works well I guess
> 
> So, for those curious: HCl— ^Acd. xCu stands for "Hydrochloric acid-- pretty strong. Doesn't affect copper" Which is something I remember from when I used to do science. Always have liked it, but I'm not doing it anymore because... well... issues with the science guys at school. Long story, totally separate kettle of fish.
> 
>  
> 
> And now, the steel typing's poison immunity makes sense to a lot more people.
> 
> Thank you for reading the second chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

The chorus of a cutesy idol anime’s opening, and the chorus to a physiological horror anime’s opening fill the stairwell. The pair stands shocked for a second, the clashing genres and keys of the music a dissonant mess. Someone’s calling them. Adrien’s phone has a large crack through the back, and a small black cat chain. Marinette’s is still in perfect condition, in a pastel pink floral pattern. Ayla’s calling one of them, but the other doesn’t know the number. 

Adrien answers his first, the bubblegum idol J-Pop song ending on happy determination. Marinette follows, the angsty alt-rock song cutting short on a falsetto wail. Ayla’s screaming into the phone, and Adrien still hasn’t figured out who’s calling him. Some guy asking for someone he’s never heard of.

“Oh my god, Marinette, where are you? You haven’t… wait… have you?” 

“Um, sorry wrong number.” Adrien hangs up on whoever just called him, choosing to listen to Marinette’s part of the conversation. Why? How is this happening?

“Have I what?”  
 “Y’know” Alya wiggles her eyebrows up and down with a lecherous face, but remembers that Marinette can’t see her. Right, Marientte’s phone plan doesn’t cover video calls.  
 “I really don’t.” What Alya’s implying suddenly clicks. A groan, Marinette rolling her eyes, face-palming with her left hand. This’ll be a long conversation. “Yes, I’m with Adrien, no, get your mind out of the gutter.” Adrien groans, eyes flicking to his left, arms crossed, and mouth in a scowl. He knows why people say that. Not to him, just to other people. Why would Marinette say it to Alya though? Whatever.

“Well, we’ll come find you in five minuets, and then you have however long it takes to find you. Good luck Marinette.” Alya hangs up before Marinette can get the last word, self-satisfied smirk on her face. So Marinette found a spine… interesting. Another awkward silence, with only the hum of the half dead fluroesent lights.  
 “I had no idea you were a Love Live fan Adrien.” Adrien blushes, avoiding Marinette’s eyes again.  
 “Y-yeah? Well, if someone told me that the cute, awkward Marinette was a fan of Tokyo Ghoul, I’d probably laugh… And then cry because that show gave me a lot of feelings.” It’s Marinette’s turn to blush, going scarlet at Adrien’s words. 

“W-w-w-wait, you, you really think I’m cute?” Shit, that was aloud. He just called Marinette cute, aloud. “I-I-I-I mean, it’s not like I don’t like how you look, like, you’re amazing looking and stuff, just I’m a little shocked you think I’m cute…. Wait, did I just say that aloud? I mean, I’m not trying to be creepy, or anything, but I just kinda want to date you, and um… um…” Marinette’s eyes scatter, finding literally anything else to focus on in the empty stairwell, finding an oddly shaped spot of mold on the wall. A brief silence, Adrien finally catching on to what she just said.

“Wait, what? D-did you just say you want to date me?” Marinette’s jaw drops, every mental processor going straight into the blue screen of death called embarrassment. “I’m honestly shocked. Like, as Ladybug you always seem way out of my league, like you could throw me across Paris and I’d thank you, but as Marinette, I… actually had no idea what you thought of me. Not that I mind, there’s just something that might make it… um… shit.” Adrien’s voice trails off again, a derailed train of thought, and enough teenage awkwardness to last a lifetime. He lifts his right hand, maybe to point at the ring? 

Marinette finally gets over the embarrassment of running her mouth in front of her crush/partner, taking a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, just talk to Adrien as she would Chat. She’s seen him wearing what can only be called enough black eyeshadow to last an entire emo phase. He’s not scary.

“You want to date me as well? Be honest.” Adrien looks straight into Marinette’s blue eyes. So that’s what Ladybug’s eyes look like. Blue, round, with a slight crease, and slightly short lashes.

“I want to.” Adrien pauses “But I’m just worried that I could make it a little hard for you.”

“You won’t. Stop worrying. If it’s something strange, I’ll accept it. You’re still Chat, my partner of over two years, and the idiot who once caused a minor power outage by accident.” Adrien’s eyes widen. Shit, she still remembers that… Still, he moves closer, stoping half a meter in front.

“I can’t believe you remember that. It was the day we met, right?”  
 “Hmm… I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.” Marinette holds the memory of when they met close to her. Both memories. The “I literally just walked into a door, but the guy opening it is cute and kinda familiar, and is also being all apologetic” meeting, and the “I jumped from a roof in front of a guy I’ve never seen before wearing way too much black eyeshadow and a surgical mask, there’s a gang in front of him, what the hell am I doing?” meeting.   
 “Marinette… thank you. Please, it’s not much, but can I hug you?” Marinette nods, soon finding a strong pair of arms around her. Her heart skips a beat. He smells nice. A fresh smell mixed with warm spices. Though is Adrien always this cold? Not in the metaphorical “heart of stone” sense. Like, actual body temperature. Adrien closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth emanating from the smaller girl. How is she this warm? But there are other things about her that give him a giddy feeling. Like how soft her skin feels, and the faint smell of vanilla coming from her. It’s sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet, like a certain someone else’s taste in perfume. 

“Adrien? Um… c-can I kiss you?” Marinette’s quiet, soft. It’s unlikely anyone is gonna hear them, but knowing Alya, they can’t be too safe.

Their first kiss is not perfect. Mostly because neither know what they’re doing. Or have any experience. It’s messy, slightly awkward, but it’s the best kiss both of them have ever had. By default. Both have their eyes shut, wanting this akward, yet amazing moment to last forever.

A squeal of joy, and shutter of a camera break their focus, the couple jumping apart. Alya’s cheshire cat grin greets them, an out of breath Nino closely following.

“Nino, twenty euros. I win.” The money exchanges hands, Alya waving the phone in front of Adrien and Marinette “Well, caught you. This is a proud moment. Both of you spat it out… I can’t believe it. Well, Nino and I will leave you two to finish up. See you tomorrow.” The two leave as suddenly as they arrived, and the stairwell is silent again.

“What just happened?”

“I have no idea.”

“See you tonight?”

“See you tonight.”

 

Adrien sneaks up on Marinette like he always does, only this time he’s greeted with a hug instead of a startled fighting stance. It’s still cold as fuck, maybe even colder than last night, with sleet falling from the sky in an icy sheet. Gross.   
“My lady, look what I found.” He pulls two things out of his pockets. A slightly worn butterfly knife, and a strange business card. Marinette recognises the knife, but the card is unfamiliar, yet that symbol, god, where has she seen it before? It’s black, but with an intricate design on it, printed in a purple ink. It looks like a butterfly.

“Where’d you get this?” Adrien’s eyes move left, a hand reaching up behind his head. 

“Long story. I kinda got dad to give it to me as a Civ. Dad found it after our house was broken into about a week ago. Mentioned wanting to give it to Ladybug, and well, here it is my lady… You are taking it, right?”

“Calm down. Tikki, can you run this through a few searches? If I can trace who this belongs to, I can trace the book.”

“Alright!” Tikki’s high pitched voice comes from the earpiece, as the small AI starts the process in the background.

“So, what do we do while we wait?” 

“Just a little patro—” Marinette’s eyes widen behind the goggles, tackling Chat. A blade flies over their heads. “Look out!”

Behind them is a strangely familiar group. Black uniforms, with a faint purple symbol on the shirt, and black gas masks. It’s them. Around five, maybe 6 people cluster around the south side of the building, reaching for weapons that come alive in a sickening hum. The pair rises to their feet, keeping themselves low, and balanced.

“Ladybug, we’ve been caught.” Tikki’s voice is worried, coming through the ear piece at a rapid speed. Marinette rolls her eyes, letting out a sharp burst of air. No shit, though, it’s strange that they found them this fast… unless.   
“Chat, destroy the card.” In a fluid movement, Chat throws the knife through the card with his right hand, reaching behind to extend his staff with the left. Ladybug pulls what looks like a yo-yo out of her pocket, a ring of blades popping out of the sides. 

“Chat”

“Ladybug”

“Weapons out”

 

The first group of enemies comes forward, two fighting Chat, two fighting Ladybug. This isn’t going to be easy. To say the opponents appear to have the upper hand against Ladybug is stating the obvious. The have a head, and at least twenty kilos on her. 

A sly grin, the yo-yo/bladed contraption of death swinging around with a rehearsed speed.

Ladybug takes a step. And another. Keeping her balance, and never moving too fast.  A breath. Another. Slow, calm, calculated. 

Diagrams flicker on the inside of her goggles, pointing out weak points and flaws in her opponents stances.

“Let’s go.”

One of the masked assailants rushes forward, sword held in a clumsy grip. First mistake. Their strikes hit air, only a red and black afterimage remains of the girl they’re fighting. Blades slice through air, scraping against the hand holding the sword. A lifeless clatter. The sting of a sharp blade hitting the face. It’s got more in common with a kitchen knife than any conventional weapon, yet the way it slices hurts. The attacker swallows, feeling true fear for the first time in their life.

Or it would be true fear. If not for the relief that they were fighting Ladybug, and not Chat Noir.

Green eyes narrow, focusing on the movements, the joints. The weakpoints.

A terrifying grin, all teeth, all sharp.   
A flash of silver.

A crack, loud, and clear against the quiet night.  
 The metalic smell of blood.

 

Chat ducks down, rolling the staff up, and across his shoulders, bringing the end down on the same person whose ribs he just broke. The staff flicks up, over, Chat pivoting on the balls of his feet to strike someone coming from behind. Swords clatter uselessly against the rooftop. Disarmed, yet still fighting, a practiced punch striking metal. 

A crunch. The pole flips up, hitting the base of an attacker’s jaw. Another block, the pole horizontal. A heavy-booted kick straight into someone’s stomach.  
 A bladed wheel flies past his ear, straight into the side of someone’s head. Adrien jumps to the left, drops the staff, and faces Marinette. The bladed… thing flies back into her hand, the blades retracting. It’s a “harmless” yo-yo again.

“Chat. Enough. Photograph the uniforms, weapons, and anything else that we can use to get information. You take those three, I’ll take the other.” Ladybug’s voice is tense, a lower register than the one she normally uses to talk. Vowels are shorter, consonants sharper. 

“Fine.” Crossed arms, and a glare, snapping. His expression softens, falling. 

 The rooftop is silent apart from the distant traffic, and the shutter of a cameras. Another cold gust of wind, wafting away the smell of blood. A listless sigh, Marinette’s eyes looking away from a contamose body, straight at Adrien.

“Chat. Are you okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that escalated quickly.
> 
> In all honesty, I have like, zero experince writing/partaking in romantic stuff. So, that hopefully didn't suck too much.
> 
> Fighting on the other hand? I can write that.
> 
> Expect more. So much more.
> 
> Also my spell check fucked up, so if anything looks particulally weird, blame it. Or me. Whichever's easier

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm new here, but this isn't the first fanfiction I've written. Hello, I'm not giving you a name, or a tumblr, because as the name implies, NO ONE FROM MY SCHOOL CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THIS. I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and I'll try to update as regularly as I can. Which, is probably gonna be "whenever I am trying to avoid studying". Please, feel free to give me feedback, and corrections, but, as I mentioned in the tags, I'm Australian, and so, if you try to correct me for writing favourite with a "u", please reconsider your life choices. That is all. 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Oh, and if anyone has a better idea for a title, please tell me.


End file.
